Four the Record by Miranda Lambert

Four albums into her career, Miranda Lambert knows who she is, and with that comes a confidence that allows her to explore her boundaries.

Miranda, who wrote or co-wrote six of the album’s 14 tracks, has clearly come into her own as an interpreter of songs, whether she’s written them or not. “Oklahoma Sky,” written by Allison Moorer, is a gorgeous and sparse ballad that tells a story more with its well-chosen instrumentation than with Miranda’s pure voice. “Fine Tune” is a sexy, blues/rock hybrid destined for a bedroom mix, while the quirky “All Kinds of Kinds,” with its lilting Irish folk feel, paints a picture not frequently found on mainstream country albums.

For those pining for a Miranda/Blake Shelton duet, the aching and vulnerable “Better in the Long Run” delivers in spades. “Fastest Girl in Town,” penned with fellow Pistol Annie Angaleena Presley, is perhaps a more “typical” Miranda song, but even here there’s a rock ‘n’ roll edge that only comes with the Album of the Year stamp Miranda so deservedly has garnered.

With due respect to her previous fine efforts, Four the Record is easily Miranda’s best album yet.